Bob grew up in Cleveland so he understands the angst of the underdog. Much like the Seattle sports fan, hes been waiting decades for any kind of title for the hometown team.

But he has covered a few champions in his 34-year newspaper career through Cleveland, Mansfield (Ohio), Tucson and San Francisco. He covered the 49ers Super Bowl titles in 1981 and 85. For the past 25 years, hes been in Seattle, including 20 years in the sports department at The Seattle Times. He worked the Mariners beat in the summer and University of Washington mens basketball in the winter. He also spent a couple of years on the Sonics, including 1996 when they met Michael Jordans Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals. He has chronicled a wide variety of sports: The old Bing Crosby Clambake at Pebble Beach, the 1998 PGA at Sahalee, Olympic Games, World Series, Final Fours, Indy 500 and the World Baseball Classic in Tokyo.

He left the Times in 2005 to devote more time to breaking 80 on the golf course. That hasnt worked out. He also has a free-lance career that includes three best-selling books on Ichiro for the Japanese market, three unsold and under-appreciated screenplays as well as more than three dozen articles for the New York Times. He and his wife live in Sammamish and have four children and three grandchildren.

Based on his play during this season, there is only one thing the Washington's 7-foot center Aziz N'Diaye doesn't need to improve on this summer: Height.

Everything else needs work.

That 7-foot, 260-pound frame is the reason the junior-to-be has a scholarship. If he were six inches shorter, he might still be back in Senegal. He doesn't have an offensive game and hasn't developed ball-handling skills. He's still working domesticating a foreign game.

But that frame also is what the Huskies desperately need to fill the lane next season. They really have no one else who has the potential to impose, deter and intimidate an opposing player underneath. Matthew Bryan-Amaning, 6-9, 240-pound and a different kind of player, is moving on.

Fifth-year senior Darnell Gant is 6-8, 225 pounds can mix it up inside but can't pull the weight N'Diaye can. UW Coach Lorenzo Romar said 6-6, 190-pound freshmanTerrence Ross is his best post-up player among his wings, but that's a different discussion.READ MORE»

LOS ANGELES  Isaiah Thomas entered the Pac-10 Tournament struggling with his shot and his confidence. He blamed it on thinking too much, He wanted to get back to instincts and reactions.

With 19 seconds left in what turned into the Washington Huskies' sensational 77-75 overtime victory over Arizona, his mind flooded with random thoughts, not the least of which was the game situation.

The score was tied at 75. He played all 45 minutes of this game and 78 of the 80 minutes in the previous two games. The Wildcats had momentum after a Kevin Parrom three-pointer tied it.

Three minutes earlier in OT, Matthew Bryan-Amaning fouled out. That opened the lane further for Arizona's Pac-10 Player of the Year Derrick Williams, who already had 24 points, 11 rebounds and just two fouls.

I know you want to be in there. I know you care,'' Thomas told MBA as he departed. I got your back.''READ MORE»

LOS ANGELES -- Isaiah Thomas capped off a sensational Pac-10 Tournament by hitting an 18-foot jumper at the buzzer as the Washington Huskies beat No. 1-seeded Arizona in overtime, 77-75, Saturday afternoon at Staples Center. Arizona's Kevin Parrom hit a three with 19 seconds left to tie. Thomas, taking his time and controlling the ball the entire possession, worked around the top of the key, faked his defender then rose to the occasion. He had a season-high 28 points and seven assists and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament for the second year in a row. The Huskies, as the No. 3 seed, also won the tournament for the second year in a row and are an automatic entry into the NCAA Tournament.

Star Of The GameIsaiah Thomas Hit the 18-foot game-winner as time expired for the victory. He had a season-high 28 points and seven assists.

LOS ANGELES  Talk about court vision. Isaiah Thomas takes it another step beyond. He doesn't merely see what's there and reacts, he anticipates what's going to happen.

Thomas, the Washington Huskies junior point guard, displayed his superior passing skills Friday in the Huskies' 69-51 semifinal victory over Oregon in the Pac-10 Tournament. He had a tournament-record-tying 12 assists to go with 10 points.

The Huskies (22-10) now play No.1 seed Arizona Saturday at 3 p.m. for the tournament championship. The teams split during the regular season.

He finds me a lot,'' said freshman guard Terrence Ross, who had 13 points in his second career start. He's a great point guard, great court vision. He finds me before I ever see something happening. He sees it before me.''READ MORE»

LOS ANGELES -- After an emotional win against Washington State in the quarterfinals, Washington handled Oregon from the opening tip to advance to the Pac-10 championship game against top-seed Arizona. Isaiah Thomas put together another double-double and a variety of role players contributed. The win virtually assures Washington an NCAA Tournament berth and places them in the Pac-10 tournament title game for the second consecutive year.

The Wildcats, on a mission to win the regular-season and Pac-10 tournament titles, held off USC in the early game, 67-62.

Derrick Williams, the Pac-10 Player of the Year, had 20 points for the Wildcats (27-6). Jesse Perry added 11.

The Cats now wait for the winner of the late-night game, Washington or Oregon. That game will be Saturday at 3 p.m.

This means a lot,'' Arizona Coach Sean Miller said. We came here trying to separate out regular-season championship and to pursue the conference tournament championship. These guys all realize the you lose, you go home.''

What provided extra motivation for the Wildcats was their last trip to Los Angeles. They were swept by both USC (65-57) and UCLA (71-49).

I thought our last experience when we came to Los Angeles, losing to both USC and UCLA, we came here this week trying to get better,'' Miller said. That's why I think this was the best win of the season.'READ MORE»

LOS ANGELES  Playing center for the Washington Huskies was Todd MacCulloch's default position. Had he been able to find a pair of size 19 hockey skates, he might have glided down a different career path.

His big-foot dilemma worked out pretty well for the Huskies.

MacCulloch, a 7-foot, 280-pounder, was the primary pillar in the rebuilding of the school's basketball program in the late 1990s. He helped take the team to back-to-back NCAA appearances. His four-year career at Montlake, in which he finished as the fourth leading scorer, has not gone unnoticed by the Pac-10 Conference.READ MORE»

He started 6-foot-6 guard Terrence Ross Thursday night against Washington State in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament. Ross did not even play in the Huskies' previous game, Saturday against USC. In the two previous games, he scored no points in 17 total minutes. He was 0-for-5 in 13 minutes Feb. 17 against the same team he would start against.

Why, when this game had the whole season riding on it? Some college basketball devotees believed the Huskies (21-10) had already earned the right to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Others believed they had not earned anything, that they had to win the tournament, or get to the final game, to advance.READ MORE»

LOS ANGELES -- Oregon just opened a door. Now we have to see who steps forward, Washington or Washington State?

The No. 7 seeded Ducks (15-16) knocked off the No. 2 seeded UCLA tonight, 76-59. E.J. Singler, who had a career-high 22 Wednesday in a 76-69 victory over Arizona State, had another career-high 24 against the Bruins (22-10). They held the Bruins to just 25 percent shooting (6 of 24) in the first half.

Oregon now advances to the semifinals for the first time since 2007. Their opponent will be the winner of the late-night Washington-Washington State game. No matter what, when UCLA is eliminated that makes the path to the title game easier for everyone.

The Ducks, who entered the tournament on a four-game slide, had twice lost to the Bruins this season, but both were close, 67-59 at home and 64-54 at Pauley. So in at least once instance, confirms the argument that it's difficult to beat a team three times in a season.READ MORE»

The best explanation why the Huskies have had trouble figuring out who they are this season could be the fact that team leader Isaiah Thomas doesn't know who he is.

Early in the Pac-10 Conference play, Thomas wanted to be the Abdul Gaddy for his team. Now as his team is set to begin the conference tournament, he's going to be playing the role of friend and teammate Venoy Overton, suspended for the tournament after being charged with the gross misdemeanor of distributing liquor to a minor.

Thomas stepped up his play after starting point guard Gaddy tore his up his knee Jan. 4. In the first nine conference games, he averaged 18.5 points and eight assists, winning conference Player of the Week three times.READ MORE»

Washington Husky senior forward Matthew Bryan-Amaning and junior guard Isaiah Thomas were each named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches District 20 five-man first team.

Joining them are Washington State's Klay Thompson, USC's Nikola Vucevic and Arizona's Derrick Williams, who also was named Pac-10 Player of the Year this week.

On the second team are Cal's Harper Kamp, UCLA's Reeves Nelson and Malcolm Lee, Oregon's Joevan Catron and Stanford's Jeremy Green.

Bryan-Amaning, from London, England, leads the Huskies in rebounds (8.3 rpg), field goal percentage (56.4 percent) and blocks (50) and is second on the team in scoring (16.0 ppg). He ranks fourth in the conference in rebounding, sixth in scoring, second in blocks per game (1.7) and sixth in field goal percentage.READ MORE»

In a season filled with suspensions and injuries, it appears the Washington State could have an important advantage over Washington in their opening game of the Pac-10 Tournament Thursday night: depth.

Washington State will welcome back leading scorer Klay Thompson from a one-game suspension for marijuana possession and may have a game-time decision for guard Reggie Moore, who also missed the last game with an injured ankle.

Washington, in the meantime, suspended guard Venoy Overton for the entire tournament because of charges brought Tuesday morning for distributing liquor to a minor. The team also is waiting to see if guard Justin Holiday will be medically cleared in time to play after suffering a concussion Saturday.

Moore made it through most of the Cougars practice. Holiday did not practice Monday or Tuesday.

Venoy Overton, the unnamed Washington Huskies player who was the subject of a police investigation earlier this year, has been formally charged with distributing liquor to a minor, a gross misdemeanor. As a result, Washington coach Lorenzo Romar suspended Overton from the team.

The point guard will not play for Washington in the Pac-10 tournament, though he will travel to Los Angeles with the team. If Washington plays beyond the tournament, as in the NCAA Tournament, Overton will be eligible to participate.

"It's something that I've said all along that we take very seriously,'' Romar said. "There have been some internal dealings with Venoy that I won't get into because it's family stuff, but I did not want to outwardly discipline him twice. I wanted to wait for this process to take its course.

"It was my intention all along that if something would happen, that further action would be taken from what's already happened internally.''READ MORE»

What's getting them in: The Ducks' only chance is if E.J. Singler turns into Kyle Singler, his older brother and Player of the Year candidate for Duke. E.J. is not quite the same player. What works in the Ducks favor is they start a lot of experience. They have been through this routine. The Ducks take care of the ball as well as take their share from opponents, second in the conference in steals at eight per game.

What's keeping them out: They haven't beaten any team of significance all season. Well, the Huskies. They don't shoot well, 41.9 field-goal percentage, last in the league. And they don't rebound well. Not the best combination if they hope to win four consecutive. They could beat last-place Arizona State but their reward will be UCLA.

The latest: Joevan Catron had a career-high 28 points against Arizona Saturday, becoming the 30th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.

They don't lead, they follow. They don't control their destiny, they have conceded it. They have no guarantees, they are hat in hand.

Count the Huskies much like seven other teams heading for the Pac-10 Tournament next week: They need to win to get in it  that is the NCAA Tournament.

Arizona and UCLA are virtually assured. A week ago, most people considered that the Huskies (20-10, 11-7 in the Pac-10) would make it a Pac-10 troika. They had three games at home  where they were 14-0  and it wasn't unreasonable to believe they could run the table at Hec Ed. That would have assured good standing with the NCAA Selection Committee.READ MORE»

Washington found itself in another grinding affair, this time with USC. The Trojans were able to slow the game and control rebounding for a 62-60 win. On Senior Night, Washington shot just 2-for-16 from behind the 3-point line and closed the year losing two of the three final home games.

Star of the game
Jio Fontan Washington defenders had trouble all night keeping Fontan in front of them. His ability to drive and score or pass allowed the Trojans to build a quick nine-point lead. Whenever he came out, which was just for three minutes, USC struggled.

Play of the game
Down 56-50 with 3:13 remaining, Washington allowed three USC offensive rebounds. The Trojans ran almost a full two minutes off the clock during the stretch.

Thank you! Art Thiel and Steve Rudman

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